christmas day

christmas day, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

Nothing to do after Christmas (in the morning), so I had a get together at my place.

Stayed up til 3AM playing mafia, operation, Catch Phrase, and eating left overs all night.

sweater

sweater, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

So that's where my sweater's been.

paul and bong joon-ho

paul and bong, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

My friend Paul had the privilege of translating for the great Bong Joon-Ho (director of The Host, Memories of Murder).

Mike, Debb, and I woke up early on Saturday morning to get breakfast burritos in Malibu.

college, right?

college, right?, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

How long ago was this?

Where is this guy? He was cool.

Oh well - we all graduate eventually.

ave maria

ave maria, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

eleuterio

eleuterio, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

picasso

Picasso, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

old books

Some of the best books I've ever read were in elementary school.





I read the Pigman; it was a story about Mr. Pignati, a lonely man who lived in a creepy old house.





It was pretty heavy - talking about death. I think the two kids from the neighborhood were arranging his funeral.





Book is so old - look at how yellow the pages got.

papps y claudio

papps y claudio, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

I helped shoot a movie for a church retreat over the weekend. I can't give away too much about the story, but it's basically about a misfit who does outrageous shit at a party.

It was great hanging out with friends almost 24/7 and I can't wait to see the finished product.

lost hills

lost hills, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

I'm always running two weeks late, it seems.

Friday October 30th - we attended the inaugural Los Angeles Haunted Hayride in Malibu, CA. It was better than any Halloween event I have ever attended. These guys really took it up a notch - and you just SIT THERE! No walking through a maze.

I will definitely be going again next year.

As for Halloween night...we didn't do jack. We stayed in at Paul's house to plan for a movie. Tiring, fun, and filled with a lot of sitting on our asses and eating candy.

I should really post things here more often - it lets me know how mundane I can get because I constantly run out of things to write about.

i like old elevators

i like old elevators, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

you know...the ones where you have to close the door yourself and pull a crank. wonderful

one of my life's greatest fears

empty spaces 1, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

I cried last night because I moved out of my house. I lived there for 12 years. During my time here:

- I met my friends
- I graduated high school
- I lived next door to my best friend for 12 years and started to feel like family
- Got drunk for the first time
- I failed to launch for a bit
- I held numerous wine nights.
- I stayed in one room - the one to the right because I wanted my room to be my "right-hand-man"
- I became known as part of the Walker Lane crew

I remember how bad we wanted this house. We used to go to my uncle's house - which was down the street - at least 3 times a week because on the way we can see this house up on that hill. It was so distant at that time - our offers weren't quite cutting it and the previous owners had no shortage of offers. We needed to save money, but man oh man we wanted that house so bad.

My parents and I used to drive up the street and point at it - my mom said as long as we did that and wanted it THAT bad we would get it.

And one day, somehow, we got it.

We were elated - we swore we would never move because it was perfect. Not too big, not too small - we could easily live there for the rest of our lives. To me, it was liberation. I lived closer to school, and now I could actually make friends with these other people because I was in their area both geographically and financially. I was no longer the kid from the other side of town.

That summer after moving in I had my first birthday party there and really spent time with my current group of friends. For the first time, I really felt like I belonged.

Every summer my house and Paul's house would be home base for all of our activities. It was just a given - we're meeting in between Paul and Ben's houses. I don't know how many times we intended to go out but ended up spending 5-6 hours just standing on the sidewalk outside listening to music, chasing each other down the street, and just cracking the most non-sense jokes. I remember Brian coming over with this guitar, lying down on the driveway with all our friends to stargaze, that rainy afternoon when Paul and I didn't have a ride anywhere so we tried to stay in and watch something totally girly like "Autumn in NY" (don't forget the whole cookie excitement).

I remember after Brian broke up with his gf, we drank away our sorrows in the backyard. Never forget.

Stupid meetings to discuss gossip with church friends, all the Walker Lane movies we shot, and nights when Paul and I snuck out because we felt rebellious.

Yes - my parents have moved into a bigger house but that house will never have the heart that the Walker house did.

I will never forget that place.

Today was frightening.

During my lunch hour, I decided that I really needed to kick my ass into gear and take some photos. Increasingly, I have become interested in landscape-type photography. Mountains, fields, grass, sand, etc. You get the idea.

With the recent rainfall in Southern California, I wanted to see if I can get above the clouds and shoot an ocean of it - much like the view of clouds you get when in an airplane. I'm fortunate that I work in Pasadena which is within a 5 minute drive from the base on Mt. Wilson.

I head up Angeles Crest Highway and, ding ding, the road is closed. Due to the recent fires many of the trees have been wiped out and now there is a high chance of mudslides. Dejected, I made a turn into Starlight Crest and went window shopping - looking at houses I hope to match in size one day.



Then I caught some views of the valleys that are right in the backyards of these houses - I felt like I saw hell on earth for a moment. The burnt trees, dirt, and the smell of smoke still lingering despite the rain - it was frightening and awe inspiring at the same time.



I know I'm about 1-2 months late - but I wish all you mountain dwellers the best. How terrible that fire must have been.

view from the top

view from the top, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

Haven't posted in a week - does that make me lazy?

I honestly don't know where I place blogging on my list of priorities so I don't know.

It's going to rain Mon-Weds. I usually love this, but what's going to suck is that I'm going to be restricted to indoors riding for the next 3 days. Sure I can watch TV and take a shower within 15 seconds of hopping off the saddle, but it's not the same. Can't dig into any hills or enjoy the breeze.

But what is life about to me these days? Making the best of it.

honeycomb

honeycomb, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

Found a small group of wasps trying to build a house on my balcony.

Evicted them with a broom stick, but saw them hanging out again shortly after.

Time to sick the goons on them.

crunch a munch

crunch a munch, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

Yup.

Crunch a Munch.

That's what I take photos of.

in ventura

debbie ventura, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

Maybe I don't get out enough, and that's why the percentage of photos and entries from Ventura is hitting an all-time high. But forgive me, I'm a working man and I am left with the small escape of reminiscing day to day about yesterdays.

Debbie and I decided to go to Ventura one morning - we had originally planned on driving to Malibu along the coast - possibly stopping by Neptune's Net and giving me an hour or two to work on accentuating my cycling jersey tan.

It had been a long time since we had a day to just relax and play things by ear. With both of our busy schedules, we're usually forced to rely on planning things days ahead or sitting in front of a TV waiting for the next work day to begin. It felt great. We woke up - we both felt like seeing the ocean, and then on a whim we decided to drive a little further than we were planning. See? Against plans. Got a little lost on the way, couldn't decide on what to eat immediately, and just stumbled into stupid shops as we walked along the boulevard. (Found a TREK-only dealer on the way back to the freeway, too).

It was great.

everyday

Everyday around 9:30-10:00, I get hit with the travel bug. Obviously, I'm in the office working around this time frame, so my only indulgence is to let my mind wander in between emails and hearing back from my clients.

Today I thought of Switzerland, mainly because of the UCI World Championships that are happening in Mendrisio.



I really overlooked this place.

I wrote somewhere a while back that I met a Swiss man in a McDonalds in Catania, Sicilia. He had nothing bad horrible things to say about his country. People are close-minded, which is a product of their geography. Mountains as barriers, valleys as comfort zones.

Perhaps he was the only man that thought this way. I mean...the Swiss embrace all cultures - they speak Italian, German, and French. Their national football team is filled with people of all ethnicities. What was this guy on?

I'm going to give it another chance.

Mission at San Buenaventura

Mission at San Buenaventura, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

Smallest mission I've seen - still beautiful.

Hawaii Withdrawals

North Shore - Dole Plantation, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

Hawaii withdrawals.

Dole Plantation - I don't care if it's like Disneyland. They have Dole Whip, the air smells of pineapples, and it's 10 minutes away from the shrimp trucks.

Seriously, sometimes it makes me want to say "Fuck you, mainland."

santa clarita moonlight

santa clarita moonlight, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

Good morning and almost afternoon, Friday!

Heading up to Santa Clarita tonight after work to hang out with Debbie and her family - probably eat some great home-made cooking, watch a movie, and enjoy the company.

Tomorrow morning - 30+ mile ride with the Pedalist Cycling Team down to Newport Beach, and then heading up towards LA again for Paul's bday.

Sunday - I intend to relax and get ready to tackle another week of work. I'm aiming towards Thanksgiving. Might enjoy Halloween along the way.

courtyard

courtyard, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

Sick of colors for some reason - really leaning towards black/white or desaturated photos. It seems more real to me, and photos with high saturation remind me of wedding photography. Nothing against wedding photography, by the way - I have tons of friends of make honest livings off of amazing photos, but that style should remain within that arena.

This was taken on a day trip to Ventura. I have very fond memories of this place - used to stop by here on the way down from SF or Pismo beach with my family. I used to love driving by the San Buenaventura Mission and rolling through downtown. They still have all those funky stores full of curios - mainly consisting of "attitude" magnets and surfing memorabilia.

I remember thinking, too - "I really wouldn't mind living here. It's by the beach, I'm only an hour or so away from LA...and I'm by the beach!"

Maybe when I'm a bit older and 2-3 kids in.

empty room(s)

old Leica shot, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

I don't know why I was so attracted to empty rooms. Correction: I don't know why I am attracted to empty rooms.

No, it is not because I can imagine what type of furniture can occupy the space. I am definitely not an interior designer, and a great testament to that is that I still rely heavily on my mother to help me pick out my furniture.

Maybe it's the whole NY thing - making living spaces out of old, frayed, and slightly destroyed (yet still expensive) buildings. That, of course, were not originally meant for living.

Perhaps it is my love for minimalism - in every way. I hate having paintings and drawings everywhere. I like to cut to the chase - no accessorizing. And this applies to everything in life. I don't enjoy extraneous words/sentences; I love giving/receiving direction in a curt matter. No harsh feelings attached ever because I thrive off efficiency. The best feeling is getting work done first. WORK DONE FIRST. I mean, how can you enjoy leisure when there are thoughts of labor lingering towards the backside of your head.

This is why I don't think I'll ever be an artist. I cannot find time to truly enjoy myself. I don't imagine this room being filled with objects. To me, a canvas will most likely remain devoid of markings - it will just be ready to go at some point.

And I really don't know when that will be.

le cose mie

le cose mie, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

4 months on paper is...well, still 4 months on paper.

The most glaring object in this collection is the ticket to the Cenacolo, also known as "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci.

Do you know difficult it is to get tickets to see this? It's days and days of calling a phone number that is constantly busy - and you have 30 seconds of very concise Italian to get your request across.

"Nome: Benjamin Hyun. Voglio andare al Cenacolo...lunedi alle 15:00."

"Si...ci sono biglietti? Grazie."

Then you take your ID and head in.

All of this hard work (most of it actually being able to get on the phone) kind of puts you in a sour mood - it already isn't worth it. But...Debbie and I headed out there anyway. I earned it, right?

You are placed in a vacuumed room - only 15 people at a time. Beeps and soft flashes of red lights quarantining the room and putting everybody in a quiet and anxious mood. Apparently, this is a big deal.

Beep. Flash. Whoosh.

The chamber opens and you are led into a small chapel. On one end, a beautiful wall painting of a landscape. On the other end, the Last Supper spanning about 30 feet in length and 10 feet in height. It's huge, amazing, and awe inspiring. THIS is it. This thing I've seen in books and movies - absolutely the most famous celebrity I've seen in real life.

Beep. Flash. Whoosh.

Another door opens and the group is ushered out of the chapel and into the daylight.

And that's that.

cielo di como

cielo di como, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

I really think the gates to Heaven look like this. Maybe a few shades lighter, though.

derby

derby, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

Derbyshire to be exact.

Debbie is obsessed with this place - it was the setting for Mr. Darcy's house (castle) in Pride & Prejudice.

This was, actually, my first real stop in England - I hadn't even hit London yet. I found myself on a 5 hour train ride out to Derbyshire, and because of this England was not London. England was not checkered taxi cabs, Big Ben, the Beatles, and double-breasted coats.

England was grassy hills, long stretched-out clouds, and crisp crisp crisp air. England was charming people with charming accents - polite in every way.

Upon arriving in Derbyshire, we found out that the house was a 25-30 minute bus ride away...and the next bus was to arrive in 45-60 minutes. And...we only had about 2-3 hours left before the Chatsworth House was to close up for the day. Bollocks, right?

"You only live once" so I took the spill and got us a taxi out to the house for a debt-aggregating toll. But, it was so worth it.

I saw the real England. There were sheep in white coats, jolly Englishmen with bright red noses, and of course the luxurious antiquity of a once-powerhouse and extravagant nation. Simply amazing gardens, statues, and over-priced sandwiches.

I can't wait to go back one day.

hey there

hey there, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

I really like these classic faces - the towering and sloping noses, the slightly chubby and cherubic cheeks that wrap around the delicate lips. The tilt of her head lets me know she is sincere in her thoughts - she was worthy of becoming a statue.

Anyhow - enough of me trying to be a sentimental observer.

Ate at BARBRIX last night with Debbie, Eli, Sarah, and a new friend named Dean. 1/2 off wine/beer at the bar with tapas type food. I haven't REALLY hung out in Silverlake so much, so it was all a new experience for me. It's a great neighborhood - it's strange. I felt some reassurance here because I knew people were aware, peaceful, and more concerned with art, equality, and embracing differences . Really - not that I have anything to "fear" in Los Angeles, but it just feels good. I guess some blankets are softer than others.

Ate some:

Speck (been a long time, baby)
Parpadelle
Crostini Misti
Duck Confit
Tagliatelle

Tried some italian rose´ last night; did not know such a thing existed knowing that italians love their cold cold cold white wine and dark dark room temperature reds. Must have been an American idea, but I loved it either way.

parole parole parole

parole parole parole, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

I love how photos you deem so stupid and insignificant become so beautiful.

Being completely objective here - it's OK. But being subjective, I love it. This is from the small town of Como - glorified through Hollywood media as the home of George Clooney.

It really is a beautiful city - dilapidated train station, sun burnt boats in the harbor, and charming street vendors. This was captured near the main road that takes you out of this town and into Milano.

Again, take lot of photos.

columns in guell

columns in guell, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

when am i going to stop walking so far down memory lane and start reflecting on more recent happenings?

- still haven't done a page a day
- still haven't taken many photos
- really need a great point/shoot

cragglywaggs

cragglywaggs, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

This is Gaudi-esque.

funny people

funny people, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

un uomo di Barça

un uomo di Barça, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

This photo is not of the highest quality, but I love it. It's the dark and dramatic lighting quality that cannot be achieved in California for some reason.

California is great for the washed out photos - desaturated skin tones and grainy effects - used heavily by Urban Outfitters photographers and Terry Richardson and his wannabes.

Word of advice - when travelling, take your camera EVERYWHERE and just shoot aimlessly.

Lest we forget

my big room, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

I forgot my old address already. My fingers hesitated on the keyboard - but I had to look it up. The house number was 1/B. Not 2/B.

Things you swear you would never forget get forgotten. For someone who prides themself on being a person who never forgets - this is a huge blow. My memory serves as my best friend - and also as the one I keep closest because it can also be my enemy.

I'm going to make an incongruous and non-sensical list - keywords that will keep my memories in line.

- Fruteria - the man stacking the shiny red apples and smiling everyday
- Esselungo
- Walking down the stairs and seeing the gourmet kitchen boiling...the friendly old people who ran and cooked for the place. Buongiorno the penguin shaped man would say
- Amendola Stop - the busy little cafe on the corner
- Walk across the street from the busy little cafe on the corner to the metro stop. It lands you closest to the line you want to ride
- Walking up Via Monte Rosa to go to the San Siro.
- The little seafood place that my parents still rave about.
- Blockbuster down the street - saved me from boredom on many internet-less nights.
- walking up six flights of stairs with groceries and laptop.
- sitting in front of the duomo at night - buying little souvenier pins from the guy in front of the AutoGrill
- Debbie and I getting picked up in front of the place to hit Milano Centrale early in the morning - headed to the airport
- Taking the metro to Porta Romana to work. The Chiliean woman at the coffee shop - Cafe Macedonia.
- That YMCA-like place I ate at everyday. The two artists with long hair that were so nice to me.
- Walking around aimlessly in the rain.
- The Gelateria that served the crispy rice flavor.
- The little avenue of shops - the American Apparel there that reminded me of home
- Naviglio part of town with all the bars.
- How cold it was at night.
- Pizza pizza pizza at Navilgio. Anema e Cozze
- Cadorna train station - how beautiful and ritzy that part of town is.
- Seeing the Last Supper in real life. How beautiful.
- The sound of SKYPE when I call people.
- Brera neighborhood and it's amazing museum. Walking around the park burning off my lunch
- Playing soccer with Liverpool fans
- the family sports day with my family at the park
- Tre Piramide pizza - the friendly Egyptian man who always gave me free bread
- tons more but I do not have time


Follow up on my goals for last week: nothing has been accomplished.

vanilLA Sky

vanilLA Sky, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

haven't seen the skies this clear for a while - i miss it.

Fire fire, go away!

I'm disappointed

corso buenos aires, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

I'm disappointed. I really am. I feel slighted, I feel under-appreciated, and most importantly, un-important.

I made lots of friends abroad. Friends from Italy, friends from Japan, friends from Taiwan, friends from South Africa, Brazil, Germany, Korea (I think that sums it up). I only kept in contact with two of them. I love the guy - genuine and always caring, and carries with himself the warm Brazilian hospitality we have all come to expect. The other friend (I'm actually slightly confused about her ethnicity) from Korea/Japan(?) lives an amazing life in-between places: London, USA, Japan, Korea, Italy. I love to hear of her latest exploits.

OK. I take that back. I tried to keep in contact with MANY of them, but only one of them wants to keep contact back.

Am I whining for no reason?

I mean...we were all supposed to stick together. We were all in a foreign place away from our daily comforts and indulgences, indulging in Italian indulgences together. Apertivi, cottoletta, Peroni, calcio, walks around the city - it was simply amazing. We did everything together.

I'm most hurt by two people. Every time I think about it, actually, I sulk. I'm not going to disclose their names because I'm slightly embarrassed.

Y - from Japan
G - from Brazil

Y was the first friend I made. I was scared shitless coming into Milan - I just moved in, attended a language course with a bunch of people who shared no fluent language together, and most of all, I was alone. Y was there taking a 3 week vacation from his job in Japan - luckily for him there were lots of Japanese students to converse with, but he thought of them as being too superficial and, in his words, boring. He chose to meet new people - myself being one of them.

We immediately connected over soccer. He was a juventino and I was a milanista. This rivalry became our friendship - we exchanged stats, amazing on-field moments, and caught a few Champions League games together at the local sports bars. We would catch lunch together down the street at a locals only joint and exchange international ideals - how the government should function, you get the idea. We shot the shit, and we shot it well.

At the end of his 3 weeks, he had fallen in love with a friend of ours - a Japanese newlywed who had come to Milan against her will to stay with a husband who worked 17 hour days. I have never been in that situation, but for him I felt the tragic sentiment of futility.

That was the end of it.

G was from Brazil. He was my co-worker during my internship at a photo studio. Funny funny guy. Loved exercise, loved taking photos (very talented, I might add), and was just 100% genuine all the time. I spent 8 hours a day with him - eating lunch, taking photos, taking down sets, and walking around the Porta Romana district. He met my girlfriend Debbie and they were immediately cordial. We became this trio of great friends.

Thereafter, my parents came to Italy, my tenure at the studio ended, and I said my goodbyes and see you agains.

And...after a few short conversations over the internet, he had erased himself from internet existence. No more facebook/skype/msn.

I don't know why, but I took it very personally. My friend was trying to avoid me.

And...that was the end of it.

Maybe I put more friendship investment abroad, and to them I was temporary company. You know, I understand it, but I hate it.

But I guess looking at it now...2/15 friends isn't so bad.

Hello World

IMG_7345, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

Waikiki Aquarium

and...

I am obviously still suffering from Hawaii withdrawals.

F you Jellyfish

IMG_7327, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

honolulu skyline

honolulu skyline, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

Went to Hawaii for the first time and stayed at the Moana Surfrider in Waikiki. I had an amazing 5 days with my family and girlfriend.

I expected to take a lot more photos, but being caught in the middle of babysitting my niece and nephew (which I honestly love doing) and really trying to relax - photo time was really hard to come by. Well, add on top of that the fact that I loathe carrying my big camera around...it's just not a great equation for a healthy yield on photos (hence, the photo I am posting is from my hotel balcony).

My favorite place to eat? Zippy's. Gotta love the chili.

Best drink? Lavaflow. I don't care if it's a girl drink.

After too much Sushi, Korean Food, and getting in and out of a large SUV, I am VERY glad to be back despite the SoCal wildfires.

Notes for this week:

- 1 page a day
- Exercise daily (lots of indoor exercise this week due to the fires)
- stop being lame

blog buggies

IMG_6795, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

Can't concentrate because all I want to do right now is take pictures.

More and more, I am starting to enjoy landscape photography. I think all started after I was flipping through a "Wallpaper" magazine one day and ran across a series of photos or some buildings somewhere in Scandinavia. They were perfectly composed - never did I look at the photos and think "this is a photo of a structure." the photographer really mastered the angles to blend the photo into the landscape but still made it stand out.

I can do that all day.

Maybe tonight is one of those walk-around-with-camera nights again.

Arnie

IMG_6935, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.

Went camping in Lake Piru, CA over the weekend. Great campground and it's less than an hour away from Los Angeles.

On Saturday Arnie rolled up in his huge RV and had some trouble fitting into his camping spot - we basically had to hoist up our tents, move a car, and shift a few things around so he could utilize our campground to get his RV in.

The guy felt so bad that he wanted to take us all out for a spin (sans Brian who knocked out) in his speed boat around the lake.

Arnie comes the 3rd weekend of every month during the warmer half of the year to hold AA meetings - he was an alcoholic at one point in his lift and started a Family Camp Group to help alcohol afflicted individuals dig themselves out of their dependencies.

He gave us a run down on the lake - it's man made, water temperature is colder near the damn because it's deepest there, and it's nice to swim near the hills. It's a small lake by his standards, but impressive in size due to it's man-made origins. The water is used to irrigate the farms in the nearby valley - avocados and strawberries.

Later at night, a group of about 60 people gathered around a camp fire and Arnie led the AA gathering. After the meeting was done - a small group of people lined up to tell Arnie about their successes so far:

"Man, there was a bottle right in front of me, and I fought it off. I really did."

"My kids are happier - I went to the park with them last week and they were really excited to come out today."

Arnie - a true American hero.

too bright!

too bright!, originally uploaded by benjaminhyun.